Imhotep walked down the halls with determination and purpose. Servants and guards quickly pressed themselves up against the walls as he passed, knowing full well that the High Priest had a destination and they did not wish to be in his way. Images of Amunet's crying, bloodied face flashed in his mind, making him wince, his stride becoming quicker, his footfalls louder. The coil of guilt in the pit of his stomach had been slowly tightening more and more every time his saw his Master wearing Amunet's face. But today had been the breaking point. He cursed under his breath, taking the stairs that lead down to the servant's quarters.

Amunet's return, her determination to fight for a life and body that was rightfully hers had driven him to make his decision. He could no longer stand by as Anubis' lap dog. Not when the woman he had come to care for was being tortured. Their time together flickered across his mind and he scolded himself. He had been given an opportunity, one he had not had since Anuk-su…that woman, and he had thrown it away. She had been a redeeming grace given him to the Gods and he had thrown their gift right back at them.

Imhotep burst through the wooden doors of the servant's quarters, not bothering to enter with any kind of grace. Time was of the essence. The O'Connells jumped, Rick cocking his gun. Imhotep ignored him and looked right to Evy.

"There is not much time. You say you have a plan for rescuing Amunet?"

"Y-yes," Evy stuttered, caught off guard. "The Westings and the Mejai will need to the enter the city but-" Imhotep silenced her with a hand, pulling his necklace over his head, stretching out his hand and dropping the talisman into her hands.

"This is my mark, every servant in the city knows it. Take this to the main gate and instruct them to open. Show them this and no one shall refuse you. Use it sparingly however, if we wish for our intentions to remain hidden from my Master." Evy opened her mouth but Imhotep once again silenced her. "Make sure your companions are dressed to blend into the city. Those red Westing robes and Medjai clothes will draw attention. Have them come to the palace in small groups through the servant's entrance. All at once and they will be noticed by the guards. I shall remain here. Send your brat…your son to find me once you are ready to strike." Evy watched him with wide eyes before nodding her head, gripping the necklace tightly in her hands.

As quickly as he had arrived Imhotep turned on his heel and existed the servant's quarters. He was risking his life, he knew that. But the life he was currently living was hardly anything to risk. The palace, the riches, the fear he created, none of it was worth the price of betraying Amunet. Even revenge on the O'Conells was something that turned sour in his mouth. At that moment the only thing he could think of was saving Amunet. Knowing that she could return to her small museum, that she could live out the rest of her life. She hated him now, she had said it herself, any chance of her loving him again was gone completely the moment he had ripped Lazarus' heart from his chest.

Imhotep stopped outside the doors of Anumbis' chambers, knowing Amunet was on the other side. He had nearly lost his composer when he had been cleaning her self-inflicted wounds. He tried to calm himself, gently opening the door and stepping inside before closing them behind him.

Amunet was sitting on the bed, her eyes still closed as if deep in thought or from the pain. Imhotep approached, his robes sweeping across the floor. He knelt in front of her, pulling her hands away from her face. The gashes in her head had stopped bleeding, although they were still very pink from his having cleaned them. Good, then they were not too deep. "Does it hurt?" He whispered. Amuent grimaced, nodding her head, eyes still closed. Imhotep watched her before pulling away. "I will fetch something for the pain." He leaned back to stand but Amunet's hands gripped his wrists.

"N-No…don't leave…please…"

Imhotep looked at her, his chest tightening, finding that he could not bring himself to refuse her. He returned to his full kneeling position, leaning in slightly.

"What do you need Amunet?" He whispered gently, raising a hand and pushing a few of her golden curls away from her face. She said nothing, her browns creasing, still struggling with herself.

"I…I need you, Imhotep."

He froze at those words, his dark eyes widening slightly. He said nothing for a long while, wondering if he had heard correctly. Even if he had heard correctly…what exactly did she mean? He slowly straightened up, moving to sit beside her, taking one of her hands in his, holding it as if it were made from glass. "Amunet…" he said softly. Her head was still bowed, eyes closed, face scrunched in pain. She returned his grip, although it was notably tighter than his. Before he could react, she turned her head, pressing her lips to his. He froze in shock, eyes wide before they slowly flittered shut, his hand moving to cup her cheek. It had been so long since he had felt such affection, to feel a woman's soft lips working against his. It was soft and gentle at first before he felt her intensity grow, her hands finding his chest, pushing him back onto the covers.

He felt like a boy, fumbling about with his hands, eventually resting on them on her hips. His mind was clouded, still wondering if he was simply dreaming. But no, the weight of her was all to real. He felt her pull back to catch her breath, leaving him to try and stop the world from spinning.

"You would risk your life for me?" she whispered. Imhotep cleared his throat, eyes still closed.

"Yes."

"You would betray Anubis?"

"Yes."

This was met with silence. Amunet had become still above him. He heard a small breath leave her before he heard a small chuckle that made his blood run cold.

"That is rather disappointing to hear."

Imhotep opened his eyes, looking up at Amunet, her own now wide open. Gone were the warm, brown eyes. Instead were the gold eyes of Anubis looking back at him, burning into his soul. He swallowed, fear washing over him but determined to show nothing while in such a compromising situation.

"When did you-"

"While you were gone," she whispered, eyes starring at him, unblinking. "I pushed little Amunet so far down I doubt she will be able to swim to the surface for a while. But at least I gave you a taste of her, a small thing to recollect on in the afterlife." Imhotep shuddered, and Anubis ran their tongue across their teeth like a wild dog, their grin growing ever wider. "Now. What to do with you, my dear Imhotep."

((Ah yes, so you know how I said there were two chapters left beforehand? Yeah, that was a miscalculation on my part. I sat down and continued to write and quickly realized that there was no way I was going to fit the rest of the story into two chapters. I am terrible at guesstimating - sorry for that! The story is nearly done however, although I obviously don't know how much in chapters. Either way, I am happy to still be writing this story as it has been with me for a long while. I hope you all have a great winter break and enjoy your holiday!))